ASL mini campaign Broadway to Prokhorovka. Journal 52

Tycho and I played the first four turns of this scenario today.  Tycho is the Russians and I am the Germans.  Once again VASL froze up so I lost the log BUT I am taking screen shots at the end of each turn so I have things to show.

The setup.  The Germans have to get 40cvp off the right edge OR keep the Russians from having an MMC in the red lined area at game end.  I am shooting for keeping the Russians out of the red lined area but will go for the exit win if I see an opening.

End of Russian turn 1.  The spot with the ambush note was the only one where the Russians got smoke - and they tried for it a LOT.  Smoke was effective however and the Russians moved up to my squad in the smoke and into CC.  Getting the ambush I retreated out, I needed those guys to hold the line.  My 9-2 in the building at the top, worthless.

End of German turn 1.  Reinforcements enter the board.  Gun at top should have fired at the blasted Russian MTR since I HATE those things.  On the plus side I rolled gusts so rain started (overcast) and the smoke when away.

End of Russian turn 2.  Russian MTR DMs the gun crew and my MMG group can keep the Russians away.  Pinned and pinned again.  CC ensues and turn to Melee with no one hurt.  Tycho rolled a 3 so rain went away.

End of German turn 2 where my PMC takes a pounding, Tiger was hit on the first shot at it (with a +4 hindrance and motion penalty - snakes man snakes).

Except my own of course.  Although every time I rolled them this game so far it was with a leaderless IFT shot...

End of Russian turn 3.  My Panzer 4 makes up for the Tiger that was killed (well, not really - whine!).  My boys in the building near the top kill off the Russians in CC and the reinforcements he tried to send in Reinforcements but they are pinned in the street.  He also took possession of my 75L gun!  The dirty dog!

End of German turn 3.  German tanks move to engage near the top of the map.  In an exchange of fire no one is hit.  My PZIV down below presses his luck when he didn't need to.

End of Russian turn 4.  SU76s take shots at the Tiger and miss.  Tiger fires at T34 in Defensive and burns it, then turns to fire MGs at the SU76 above (and thus put front armor towards both SU76).  PZIV down below is shocked.

End of German turn 4.  The Riger takes out another SU76 but does not cause it to burn.  The other SU76 turns and fires at my OP tank since it has little chance of hurting the Tiger (could immobilize it or get Snakes - I hate snakes). 

If I had to lay bets at this point I would say the Germans are going to win, but this is ASL and anthing can happen.  For campaign purposes the Russians are currently winning.  The Germans get 5 points for winning the scenario but the Russians get 6 (2 each for the VP hexes).  Both sides get points of some kind for vehicles that are mobile at game end and the Germans might take it on the chin for other losses.  Two turns and two more campaign scenarios left to go...

End of Russian turn 5.  The SU76 gambit to take out my OP tank ends with the death of the SU76, will have to see if the OP tank is gone.

German turn 5.  I calculated that I would need two VC buildings to "win" the campaign day so go after two of them that are in range.  The first is just above the smoke marker in the street - will capture that easily enough.  The second is near the top left and has that pinned Russian in it and my tank next to it.  I moved a bunch of guys up to try and get to it but one got pinned and the others were just out of reach.

End of Russian turn 6.  The T34 repairs his gun and overruns my two groups in the open, nobody can make a 1mc...  So much for that push.  Then a lousy Russian squad makes a PATC and KILLS my tank in CC.  ANOTHER campaign victory point for the Russians.

I get troops into the hex next to the building but the Russian MTR DMs them with a 2mc, game over.  It ended up with 8 Russian VC to 7 German.  

The scenario on it's own would be a German walkover in our opinion since to win that simply requires holding the Red Lined area or getting enough VC off the map.  The red lined area was never threatened by the Russians so that is just not likely.  The addition of losses and those extra VC buildings counting for the campaign should really be made part of the stand alone scenario VC.

ASL Classic Scenario H: Escape from VELIKIYE LUKI

Played this one on Friday with Bob Z over VASL.  Looking back I lied to him about Freedom of Movement that could have made a difference.  I'll console myself with it probably not being a big difference and I would not have taken the shots knowing they would grant FOM.  (OK, enough goveling).  This is one of the classics of course - straight from Squad Leader.  We liked it enough to decide to play it again with the same sides and trying different tactics and setups (maybe...).

The setup as I saw it.  My guys are all in 3 real Cloaking counters, the 10-2 and two squads above the woods area.  The 9-1 above the other little woods and the 8-0 next to him.  

End of German turn 1.  The Russians did not make a single Starshell roll and every low IFT roll they made was against a dummy Cloaking Counter.  I should have had my 10-2 and squads decloak when fired upon so the RU squad would have been uncealed when I advanced it.  Missed an ambush and the Russians and Germans both killed a squad in CC.  Russian player choose to not go after the squad with the German Leader, should have though since he rolled low enough to have caused a Casualty Reduction that might have killed the 10-2.  Russian big leader could start rolling for FoM right away.

End of Russian turn 1.  Russians find a Starshell, most firing is ineffective.  The RU guys on the hill fired on my guys in AA4 I think which allowed the guys in Y8 to fire on the gunflash.  Would not have if I had remembered that should cause FoM for them.  

End of German turn 2.  The Starshell placement was PERFECT.  Germans could run around the Russian defenses without needing to roll for straying (for most of them) and without being able to be fired upon.  Forgot about FoM being allowed when fired upon again... 

End of Russian turn 2.  That Freedom of Movement would have made a difference here.  Remember for next playing...

End of German turn 3.  With no unbroken enemies nearby the Germans use Starshells to light the way and RUN!  The RU big leader with the MMG sees them in the starshell light however (should have gone to D0/DD0 instead of EE1, ah well).  The shots does no damage but the RU leader is free to move now.

End of Russian turn 3.  The Russian leader starts moving but troops have a LONG way to go to stop the Germans.

End of German turn 4.  ANOTHER perfect Starshell placement (and this one was truly perfect).  The Germans run around where the Russians can not see them.  Getting very close to exiting the map now.

End of Russian turn 4.  Another exchange of fire goes all the German way again.

End of German turn 5.  Starshells placed right above their heads - no Russians have LOS to where the Germans are going and the Starshells allow them to move without rolling for Straying.

End of Russian turn 5.  Hoping for a wild Starshell placement and no luck.  Germans refrain from shooting - might cause a sniper and that would be BAD.

End of German turn 6 and the game.  The Germans are on a road and run right off the board.  Only worry is if there was a HIP Russian unit guarding the road and there was not.  A good scenario and a really good one for learning the night rules, a few squads in battle at a time with a large area to cover and a large initial NVR value (ours never changed throughout the game either).  Looking forward to playing it again and not cheating my way to a win.  I don't mind getting rules wrong but I do mind when it really contributed to my winning.

With that I am actually CAUGHT UP on my game blogging, every game since I've started the blog is now written up.  WOOHOO!

ASL scenario J112: Prelude to Dying

No Pictures or nutin for this one, VASL croaked and took my vlog with it!

I played the Partisans in this one (once again) and got slaughtered, only fair after the last two!

Hopefully VASL will not croak on me next game.

Anyway, the scenario itself - probably a good one but I played horribly, out of position to start and over reacted from there.

Fireball Forward Operation Crusader scenario 1

I ran a game of Fireball Forward today.  Playing the game were my son as the Germans and my friend Cass as the UK in the first scenario of the Operation Crusader scenario book.  The game was played with 6mm miniatures and I used Hinches for inches.  Allowing the 6' by 6' map to be setup on a 3' by 3' table space.  I also used blinds and like them - will be using them from now on.  Most likely 3 blinds per real unit.  For this game it was 2 blinds per real unit.

The setup for the game.  The German setup area is to the right of the grey line while the UK enters on the bottom left.  Finally on the Top Left and left hand side  is where the Germans can retreat off the map after turn 4.  The game last six turns.  The lined felt is a wadi and depressions while the other two bits of felt are higher ground.

End of turn 1.  The UK enter the board while the Germans moved forward to try and get some early spotting and kills.  Both sides get some crappy rolls and no damage is done to either side. 

End of turn 2.  More firing and no kills.  One of the Germans does fail a morale check and somebody breaks a gun (the pink circle thing)

End of turn 3.  The UK forces swamp the German Armored cars (and got lucky when they are not hit by them).  Two German Armored Card are destroyed and the last one (with the broken gun) fails a morale check and is broken status.

A closeup of the Armored Cars getting swamped.

End of turn 4.  A German 232 Armored car runs forward and manages to kill two Crusader 1 tanks (lucky shooting).  In return he is fired upon by the remaining Crusader and a Humber and fails a morale check.  Further up the other 232 Armored car is destroyed by a lucky shot from another Humber.  Finally the UK finally gets arty contact and brings down a barrage on top of the German Panzerjager 1 mobile AT guns.  It is not pretty as both of them fail their morale checks.

And the end of the game, the UK Humbers rush forward and kill one of the Panzerjaegers.  The Germans have no way to win at this point and the game is called.

Some really crappy luck mixed with good luck in this one.  The early shooting was without any kills and then it was deadly - mostly for the Germans however.  With fast moving Humbers getting critical hits while needing a 7 on a D6 (you can get that by being within a range die that is also rolled), a 6 also meaning a critical hit so armor is not as good as it could be.    Looking to play another game at the end of April.

Memoir 44 and met new gamers!

I finally got a chance to meet the Cape Coral area gamers today, after getting a nasty cold a few weeks back and being too sleepy to game a couple days back.  We played Memoir 44, which is a good bit lighter fare then I'm used to - pretty close to being Commands and Colors goes WWII.  It was fun and they seemed to put up with me - so next month it is Command and Colors Nappies and perhaps another game I'll try to spring on them after that.

The Setup for the game.  I was the left flank US forces.  Danny next to me was the Right flank.  Across the table is Frank and next to him is Kinley.  Opening setup for the game.  The plan is to go straight up the beach and blast em!

A card or two into the game.  Allies are getting plastered more than the Germans but everyone is getting plastered.

And the game is done (I think).  Allies had 6 VC token things and the Germans just got their Seventh.  No Hey Diddle Diddle here, instead my left flanks guys blew away a German unit on the edge of the board and swept around to take two town squares and Danny's took one on his side but the cards and dice were deadly and the US lost 7 units.

Actually a better game then I thought it would be, could use a bit more chrome perhaps, but then I play ASL so I never think there is enough chrome in any other game - even though I think there is TOO much in ASL...

Looking forward to playing C&C Napoleon in May!

ASL J109: Break for Hungary

Played this ASL scenario on March 10th, the second in a trilogy of scenarios dealing with Croatian Paratroopers near the end of the war.  To win the Croatians need to get 8CVP off the left edge of the board OR get 8 higher CVP than the Partisans - and prisoners did not count for the exit VP.

The game setup.  Unlike the last scenario this time the entire map is in play,  it is also ammo shortage for all Support Weapons.  So no MG fire lanes (sniff sniff).

The Croatian first turn sees a swing of good and bad dice on each side.  Looking over the log it appears to have been pretty even this time.  Although Croat attempts to take out the MG and MTR near the bottom of the map were some of the crappy rolls - as were a number of the shots on the advancing Croats so I guess it evens out.

End of Partisan turn 1.  The dummies heading to the top of the map are ignored the rest of the game.

End of Croatian turn 2.  Still not a lot of progress though the MTR crew was broken and the leader of the Partisan troops is all that is unbroken in the south besides the MG.

End of Partisan turn 2.  The Leader routes with his broken squads in tow (still broken, only leader is concealed) and the MG team left the MG in position (too heavy to move) and hid.  MTR team rallies right quick however.

End of Croatian turn 3.  The MG team could not find the MG, my BRILLIANT plan not looking so brilliant in hindsight.  The +1 for being fatigued would have been better.  On the plus side the MG team was not a target for any shooting either.  The leader manages to rally one of his charges, just in time too.

End of Partisan turn 3.  The MG is found and it and the MTR break the 9-1 leader and squads with him on the road (where the Malfed LMG is).  The center of the Partisan line is still being stressed however.  With the rally of the squad in the south things are looking better there.

End of Croatian turn 4.  BREAKTHROUGH!  The Partisan MG is taken out by snakes from the Croatian mtr leaving the rout open for the Croatian troops.  The 8-1 leader rallied and brought some MG firepower into the center of the map to keep Partisans honest.  A game I thought was going all my way last turn runs a crapper this turn.  Unless more troops can be moved south (past that Croatian 8-1 leader and MG position) if is 5 to 2 in the south...

End of Partisan turn 4.  The Croation MG position proves to be no threat, rolling badly to NE or just pins versus troops moving with a number of hindrances in their favor.  The center is now secure(ish) and the south has two squads in position with andother two on the way.  A Partisan HIPster comes out of hiding to try and whack a Croatian squad in CC (Croatians went right by his position) - when I got an ambush I decided to move between the squad I moved into CC with and the 8-1 MG stack forcing him to fire at them rather than move if the other squad could not break my squad.

Luck swings my way in Croatian turn 5.  The move forward but do not break my squad in the south and in the center their 8-1 stack is DMd. 

End of Croatian turn 6,  lost Partisan turn 5 somehow.  My Partisans had slid south to cover the bottom of the map.  On the Croatian turn my squad guarding the north side of the hill is taken out in Prep Fire leaving the hill undefended (unless I wanted to lose Concealment on my hill stack).

Seemed to have misplaced another one!  Anyway, a bonehead move left my one squad broken from Croatian fire, but perhaps not so boneheaded after all - the Croat player did not have enough units left to get off the board after trying to make my Concealed stack reveal itself.  he could have gotten 6vp off but needed at least 8.  This game went right down to the wire.  I recommend it as an interesting situation and it appears it could easily go either way with lots of decisions required by each player throughout the game. 

Have to put this in there, my second win after a long stay in the pit of despair!